Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, and am making no money off of this fic.
AN: Written for the February 2nd Cocktail Party prompt found here: gwcocktailfriday . tumblr .com (/)post/170304469758/riwaanerona-for-la-femme-projekt-models. (Without the spaces and parentheses.)
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Timing by luvsanime02
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"I think I'm going to retire," Une says finally, sick of the silence.
"Just like that?" Noin asks from behind her.
Une scowls. "No, not just like that," she says. She reaches over and picks up the glass of wine, takes a sip, and then puts the glass back down on the table, idly tracing the rim with her finger and listening to the resulting ring. "I almost got one of the girls killed tonight."
"You're being dramatic," Noin insists, walking over and picking up the glass when Une reaches for it again, taking a much larger gulp than she did. "She has a sprained ankle, and has to rest it for a few days. That's all."
"This time," Une mutters, taking the glass back from Noin. Not to take another drink, but to simply hold something in her hands. She sighs, quietly. "That's not the point, though, and you know it. I tripped."
"People trip." Noin folds her arms across her chest, the corset not hindering her movements at all. She's far too used to the constricting material. They both are.
"Yeah?" Une demands, turning to face Noin fully. The other woman's a few years younger than Une. She still looks like the costume belongs on her, high heels, stockings and garters, corset and all. "I haven't tripped in decades. And I can't even remember the last time I fell into someone else and sent them tumbling down with me."
Silence. There's no way for Noin to refute anything that Une has just said.
Une takes a deep, steadying breath as she recalls the incident. She takes another sip of the wine before Noin walks over and steals the glass again. "What if she'd been closer to the edge of the stage?" Une whispers.
The girl could have pitched headfirst into the pit if they'd been upstage more, like they are during an actual performance. Luckily, this had only been a practice session.
"So, that's it?" Noin asks quietly. "You're through with us, just like that?"
Une frowns. "I always told myself I'd stay unless I found a reason to leave," she confesses. "I think that potentially killing someone, and actually injuring them, should count as a reason."
"It was an accident," Noin stresses. "Those happen. Anyone else could have tripped."
"But I'm the only one who did," Une says. And this time, there's a note of finality in her voice. "No, I won't be responsible for hurting someone else, Noin. This is it for me." She smiles halfheartedly. "I guess I finally get to decide what else I want to do with my life."
Despite attempting to be flippant, Une's nervous, of all things. She's never really wanted to do anything else. Not in a long, long time. Isn't she too old to be starting her life over? She never really thought that this day would come, and not like this. No, definitely not like this.
Noin waits, and when Une doesn't say anything more, she hands the glass back, letting Une drink the rest of the wine. "To new beginnings," Une says, trying to sound happy with her decision, instead of just resigned.
Noin smiles sadly. "To new beginnings," she says softly. "We're going to miss you."
Une surprises them both by drawing Noin into a hug. "I'll miss you, too," she admits.
They stay in the dressing room for a while longer, pouring another glass of wine and drinking that one together, too. Celebrating and reminiscing, and getting used to the fact that this is goodbye. When Une eventually leaves later, she knows that she won't ever be coming back. This part of her life is over now.
Time to find something new.